A Gathering Of Eagles, Page 18

A Gathering Of Eagles, Page 18

Don Payne was a force to be reckoned with on all the bass circuits. He was one of the many top pros over the years who sprang from the fertile waters of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. Below, Southern Californian Steve Oliver was a top contender in the early 80s both in draw tournaments and the U.S. Open.

FROM THE BEGINNING :

WESTERN BASS

By Bill Rice

ack in the mid-60s when I began seriously fishing for largemouth bass, it was fairly common to go out on the local lakes and be one of the few bass anglers on the water. And it was in old, flat-bottomed rental boats — no such thing as a “bass boat” or depth finders or trolling motors — only oars or a 9.9 hp outboard to work the shoreline.

Then about 1968 along came this guy named Ray Scott down in Alabama with the crazy idea to have a bass fishing organ- ization and stage fishing tournaments with cash entry fees and cash prizes. I joined this new group, called the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), and so did everyone else

18 SILVER EAGLES _ July 2011

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who wanted to be part of the “elite” club. If you didn’t have a “B.A.S.S.” patch on your shirt of jacket, you just weren’t a true bass fisherman! And so began a new revolu- tion in the fishing tackle industry — the age of fancy, high-speed boats and motors, electronics gear to show water depths, light